The cleaning of cars, trucks, and other transportation equipment produces a significant amount of wastewater. Commercial or industrial facilities typically utilize systems for reclaiming at least a portion of the wastewater that is generated, so that it can be reused in cleaning processes. Recycling wastewater provides substantial cost savings to commercial and industrial facilities because it reduces the need to pay for fresh potable-grade water, which is typically much more expensive than water obtained through recycling. In some cases, wastewater needs to be treated so that it meets the regulatory specifications required for sending water to the sewer system or the environment.
The primary goal of wastewater treatment is to reduce or eliminate many different types of contaminants, such as oil and grease; dirt and other particulate matter; and micro-organisms. Accordingly, there are a number of methods in the prior art for treating wastewater so that it can be recycled for use in cleaning activities or other applications. First and foremost, wastewater treatment systems and methods often involve the use of various filtration devices to remove particulates. In addition to filtration mechanisms, a number of other systems or methods may be used in wastewater treatment systems, such as chemical treatment, biological systems, aeration systems, and UV treatment systems for deodorizing treated water. Often, wastewater treatment systems in the prior art use a combination of most or all of the above systems or methods. However, there are no systems or methods for wastewater treatment in the prior art based solely on chemical treatment.
Furthermore, wastewater treatment systems often include expensive and complex equipment that may be difficult to operate and maintain. In many cases, the operators of carwashes have a limited understanding of how to operate and maintain commercial wastewater treatment systems. This lack of understanding may result in carwash operators completely avoiding the use of commercial systems because these systems do not provide treated water of acceptable standards when the systems are not maintained or operated properly.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need in the art for wastewater treatment systems and methods that effectively clean water while being relatively simple and inexpensive to operate and maintain. The present invention addresses this continuing need in the art.